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The Song of Achilles cover art

The Song of Achilles

By: Madeline Miller
Narrated by: Frazer Douglas
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Summary

Bloomsbury presents The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, read by Frazer Douglas.

The international sensation.

Winner of the Orange Women's Prize for Fiction.

A Sunday Times and New York Times best seller.

Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son, Achilles. Despite their differences, Achilles befriends the shamed prince, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine, their bond blossoms into something deeper - despite the displeasure of Achilles' mother, Thetis, a cruel sea goddess. But when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, Achilles must go to war in distant Troy and fulfil his destiny. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus goes with him, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear.

©2011 Madeline Miller (P)2012 HarperCollins Publishers

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Critic reviews

"Captivating." (Donna Tartt)

"Sexy, dangerous, mystical." (Bettany Hughes)

"Ravishingly vivid." (Emma Donoghue)

What listeners say about The Song of Achilles

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Brilliantly crafted

I love Greek mythology and this book made me feel like I was living through the time of heroes with these characters. The story is brilliantly crafted and has a slow-build that kept me listening for hours on end! The narrator is fab too.

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BEAUTIFUL

This story is so beautiful and really addictive. I love how it focuses on the perspective of Patroclus and not Achilles and the story is so well written. Well worth the listen.

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Beautifully told

First time learning about any sort of Greek mythology stories and I loved it. Finished it within a week or so, so beautifully told, well narrated and the story was excellent. Can't wait to start Circe.

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Risk it all

Hitchcock once said that there is a clear difference between surprise and suspense. He compared it to having a scene at a dinner table and suddenly a bomb goes off. The audience will be surprised, but there is no suspense there. Now, if you let the audience know that there is a bomb under the table during the dinner and the characters are unaware of it, you create suspense.

Madeline Miller plays with this tension with beautiful cruelty. If you have read The Iliad, you know what is coming from the very beginning, so you dread each new chapter, and yet you cannot stop reading. Her prose is excellent, her historical knowledge impressive and her adaptation faithful. She breathes life into characters both beloved and hated, and she makes you love and hate them even more.

This book will destroy your soul and Frazer Douglas narrates it with heartfelt sincerity.

If you enjoyed Supergiant's "Hades", you will very likely enjoy this too.

I only wish I could give it more stars!

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Simply amazing

By far my favourite book. The narrator was great also! Such a beautiful, tragic story.

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Beautiful

A beautifully written tale of love, war, myth, legend, loyalty and beauty. I felt transported to that land.

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If you're thinking of skipping this book- don't

It almost brought The Iliad into the 21st Century. Beautifully written, wonderfully read. 10/10. I started listening during work hours because I was so caught up with the story so sorry to all my clients but Patrochilles needed my attention more

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Beautiful

I wasn’t sure about this as it’s not normally something I’d read so I kept putting it off. However, from the minute I started it, my life stopped till I’d finished it. It was one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read or in the audio book case, had read to me. Also, the narrator was sublime, this is such a key part to an audiobook and Fraser Douglas was fantastic. I’m actually going to choose books now based on what he’s narrated he was that good. Happy reading.

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WOW!

What an amazing powerful book! I loved every moment of it!

A story of true love that will last forever!

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Highly recommend

This is such a good book. I couldn't put it down. A fantastic retelling of the myths of Achilles and a beautiful love story.

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